The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1887-10-26

day there are busy hives OF intel
ligence occupied by authors and author
esses from whose pens drip distiilation
which is the very nectar OF Heaven. and
why win you thrust your rod Of inquisi-
tiyeness into the beautiful saccharine of
perditiong
Stimulating liquids also come into the
category of temptations delicious, but
beautiful. You say: II can not bear the
taste Of Intoxicating liquor, and how any
man can like it is to me an amazement."
Wen then, it is no credit to you that Won
do not take it. Do not brag about your
total Abstinence, because it is not from
any principle that you reject alcoholism,
but for the same reason that you reject
certain styles of food--you simply don't
like the taste OF them. But multitudes OK
people have natural fondness for all
kinds of ntoxicant They like it so much
that il makes them smack their lips to
look at it. They are dyspeptic, and they
take 1t to aid digestion, or they are an
noycd by insomnia, and they take it to
produce sleep, or they are troubled, ard
they take it TO make them oblivious, or
they feel good and the must ccle-
brate their hilarity. They begin with
mint julep sucked through two straws on
the Long Branch piazza and end in the
ditch, taking from jug liquid, half
kerosene and half whisky. They not only
ike it, but it is an all-consuming passion OF
body, mind and soul. and after awhile
have it they will, though one wine-glass
of it should cost the temporal and eternal
destruction OF themselves, and oil their
families, and the whole human race. They
would say: 81 am sorry it is going to cost
me, and my family, and all the worlds
,ni, har n
to my lips, and now let it roll over my
parched tongue and down my heated
throat, the sweetest. the most inspiring,
the most rapturous thing that ever thrilled
| mortal or immortal"
To cure the habit before it comes to its
last stages, various plans were tried in
oden times. This plan was recommended
| in the books. When man wanted to re-
| form he put shots or bullets into the cup
or glass of strong drink--one additional
| shot or bullet each day, that displaced SO
| much liquor. Bullet after bullet added
day by day, OF course the liquor
became less and less until the bull
let's would entirely fill up the glass and
there was no room for the liquid, and by
| that timeit was said the iuebriate would
| be cured. Whether any one ever was
| cured in that way, | know not, but by
| long experiment it is found that the only
| way is to stop short Off and when man
| does that he needs God to help him. And
| there have been more cases than You can
count when God has so helped the man
that he quit forever, and | could count a
score of them here to-day, some Oh them
| pillars in the house of God.
| One would suppose that man would
| take warning from some Of the ominous
| names given to the intoxicants, and stand
off from the devastating influence You
| have noticed, for instance, that some of
| the restaurants are called 'The Shades"
| typical of the fact that it puts mans rep
utation in the shade, aud his morals in the
| shade, and his prosperity in the shade,
| and his wife and children in the shade, and
| his immor tai destiny in the shade.
| Now, find on some of the liquor signs
| in all our cities the words 'sOld Crow"
nightly suggestive of carcass and the
\ filthy raven that swoops upon it. sold
| Grow ~ Men and women without num-
| bers slain OF rum, but unburied, and this
| evil is peci1ng at their glazed eyes, and
| pecking at their bloated cheeks, and peck
| ing at their destroyed manhood and wom-
| anhood, thrusting beak and claw into the
mortal remains of what was once glo-
! riously alive, but now morally dead. "Old
| Crow!" But, alas, how many take no
| warning. They make me think of Caesar
on bis way to assassination, fearing moth
| ing; though his statue in the. hall crashed
| into fragments at his feet, and scroll
containing the names of the spirators
was thrust into his hands, yet walking
right on to meet thu dagger that was to
take his life. The infateation of
strong drink is so mighty In many a
| man that though his fortunes are crash.
| ing, and his health is crashing, and his
| domestic interests are crashing, and we
| hand him long scroll containing the
| names OF perils that await him, he goes
| straight on to physical, and mental, and
| moral Assassination. In proportion as
| any style of alcoholism is pleasant TO your
| taste, and stimulating to your nerves, and
| for time delightful TO all your physical
| and mental condition, Is the peril awful !
| Remember Jonathan and the forbidden
honey In the woods of Bethaven.
Furthermore. the gamester's Indulgence
| must be put in the list of temptations de-
licious but destructive. / have crossed
the ocean eight times, and always one of
the best rooms has, from morning TIL late
at night, been given up to gambling prac-
tees. heard of many men who went on
| board with money enough for Eu-
ropean excursion who landed with
out money enough to get their bag.
| gage up to the hotel or railroad station.
| To many there Is complete fascination
in games OF hazard, or the risking of money
on possibilities. Ii seems as natural for
them to bet as to eat. Indeed, the hun ger
for food h often oyerpowered with the
hunger for wagers, as in the case of Lord
Sandwich. a persistent gambler, who, not
being willing TO leave the dice table long
enough for the taking Of food invented a
| preparatio Of food that he could take
| without stopping the game namely, a
slice Of beef between two slices of bread,
| which was named after Lord Sandwich. 1t
is absurd for those OF us who have never
felt the fascination of the wager to speak
| slightingly OF the temptation. 1t has slain
multitude OF intellectual and moral
giants, men and women, stronger than you
RI. Down under its power went glorious
Oliver Goldsmith and Gibbon, the his
torian, and Charles Fox, the statesman,
and in olden times famous Sepators OF the
United States who used to be as regularly
at the gambling house all night as they
were in the halls of Legislation by day.
Oh, the tragedies OF the faro table!
know persons who began with slight
stake in y ladies' parlor, and ended with
the suicides pistol at Monte Carlo. They
played with the square pieces of bone with
white marks on them, not knowing that
Satan was playing for their bones at the
same time, and was sure TO sweep oil the
stakes Off on his side of the table. The last
New York Legislature sanctioned the
mighty evil last spring by passing law
for its defense at the race-tracks, and
many young men in these cities lost all
their wages at Coney Island this summer,
and this fall are borrowing from the
money tills Of their employers or arrang.
ing by means of false entry to adjust
their demoralized finances. Every man
who voted for the Ives pool bill has on
his hands and forehead the blood Of these
souls.
But In this connection some young con.
verts say to me; lis II right to play
cardsf Is there any harm IN q game OF